Latest Springfield Armory Press Release

From the SA blog.

The Executive Director of the Illinois Firearm Manufacturers Association (IFMA)without our prior knowledge and against our principles and those of the industry as a whole with respect to the Gun Dealer Licensing Act. We no longer have confidence in IFMA and after speaking to other directors we have made the decision to sever all ties with the organization, effective immediately.

I take full responsibility for my failure of oversight in this case and deeply apologize to my employees, customers and industry partners for the distraction and divisiveness this situation has caused within our tight-knit community. Our industry has always stood strong and fought fiercely together in the past and I am personally committed to defeating this harmful legislation. To that end, I have pledged to the NRA that we will bring the full resources of my company to bear in this fight.

We are not new to this battle, Springfield Armory has fought and defeated legislation like this in Illinois for decades. We are wholeheartedly against this bill and will fight shoulder-to-shoulder with the NRA, National Shooting Sports Foundation, the Illinois State Rifle Association and others to see it defeated as the unnecessary and harmful overreach that it is.

We want to assure all Americans, like us, who fight to protect the Second Amendment that we and our industry partners will leave no stone unturned to defeat this bill.

Stefany Reese, PR & Communications Manager
Springfield Armory, Inc.
stefanyr@springfield-armory.com
309-944-8994

aaaaand the IFMA is done.

Latest Rock River Arms Release

They're doing the smart thing:

New RRA statement on IFMA

For immediate release: May 2, 2017
After further review, Rock River Arms, Inc.® (RRA) is immediately severing all ties with the Illinois Firearms Manufacturers Association (IFMA). We feel that IFMAs integrity is compromised and we will not be a part of the organization. We trusted that contributions and resources provided to IFMA by RRA were
being used to promote and uphold our 2nd Amendment values. IFMAs actions have destroyed that trust.

For more than twenty years, RRA has actively opposed gun control legislation at the local, state, and federal levels. We have supported and provided monetary and product donations to multiple pro-gun organizations including NRA, NSSF, ISRA and countless others. We have attended rallies and spoken at educational events on behalf of gun owners rights. Our employees have collected signatures, written letters and e-mails, called legislators offices, as well as attended events, meetings and hearings in Springfield, Illinois.

What we learned, however, was that we are better at manufacturing firearms and accessories than playing political games at the state capitol. So, we began to utilize the services of lobbyists, first through other organizations and then in 2009, we partnered with several other manufacturers to form IFMA.
Prior to our further review, we believed that the organization had accurately represented us. We feel that IFMAs actions have compromised its integrity. While their actions may be standard practices at the capitol, backdoor politics and convoluted deal-making are counter to the way we do business and lead
our lives.

I sincerely apologize for my lack of direct engagement in IFMAs governance and subsequent actions, as well as the abandonment gun owners are feeling.
If you have any questions regarding, or need more information about, this statement or RRAs position, please contact: Sarah Larson, RRA General Manager at 309-792-5780.

Thank you,Chuck LarsonPresident/OwnerRock River Arms, Inc.

Not Going Well For SpringField Arms and Rock River Armory

Even after their press releases, it just keeps on getting uglier.  Turns out their lobbying firm\lobbyist (of which they are the sole members) have been giving campaign donations to hardcore anti-gunners in this state including Cullerton and Madigan.

Some of those funds went to support other anti-gun politicians in their campaigns against pro-rights contenders.

For those of you who don't know who I am, my name is Arie Friedman. I'm the Friedman from the Friedman vs Highland Park assault weapons ban court case that ultimately got rejected for appeal by the Supreme Court. Additionally, I ran for Illinois State Senate (29th District) in 2012 as a pro-2nd Amendment candidate against now State Senator Julie Morrison who is an adamant gun grabber. 2012 was not a good year for Republicans in Illinois but I raised a large amount of money, campaigned non-stop and came closer to winning than many other highly competitive GOP candidates that year. My opponent, on the other hand, had difficulty raising money and was an extremely lackluster campaigner. As a result, she received numerous large infusions of cash directly from democrat State Senate President John Cullerton. Without that money, I believe she would possibly have lost the election. Now it turns out that some of that democrat campaign slush fund cash came from Springfield Arms and Rock River Armory via their lobbying arm, the Illinois Firearm Manufacturers Association:

About the only thing SA and RRA can do at this point to save face is to cut all ties w/ the IFMA or can the lobbyist immediately.

Springfield Armory Statement on Dealer Licensing Bill UPDATE

Springfield Armory has always fought hand-in-hand with the NRA, NSSF, ISRA and many others for legislation that fiercely protects the Second Amendment, individual rights and the industry as a whole. Our fight continues today as some members of the Illinois legislature are pushing to overregulate the industry through Gun Dealer Licensing Act (SB1657). 
“At the time of my initial statement to the media, I was ill-informed of the ramifications of this bill and its detrimental effects to the Second Amendment, which I have personally fought to protect my entire life. I can tell you now, we at Springfield Armory are unequivocally 100 percent against this bill and will continue to work with the NRA and others to ensure that it is defeated,” said Dennis Reese, Chief Executive Officer, Springfield Armory.
Springfield Armory, like Rock River Arms, was not aware of the actions taken by our trade association, IFMA, until after the fact. We take this situation very seriously and are looking into how this very unfortunate lapse in communication occurred.
Springfield Armory has fought and defeated legislation like this in Illinois for the past 15 years. We are wholeheartedly against this bill and will fight to see it defeated as the unnecessary and harmful overreach that it is.

---

Stefany Reese, PR & Communications Manager
Springfield Armory, Inc.
stefanyr@springfield-armory.com309-944-8994

Hopefully the dumbass in charge of the IFMA loses his job/funding over this.

UPDATE: RRA release available here. Says about the same thing.